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Valentine's Day snow storm hinders, but doesn't stop, Central New York florists

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Taylor Porter and his dad George put a box of floral arrangements from Markowitz Florist in the back of their van for Valentine's Day deliveries. Thursday night's snow hasn't made it easy but they're getting them out.
(Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)

"It's slowing things down, but we're getting it out there," Joan Coleman, part owner of Coleman Florist on East Genesee Street in DeWitt, said.

The biggest challenge Friday was rerouting deliveries due to school and office closures, said Coleman and other florists throughout Onondaga County.

Coleman, who also has a flower shop on the North Side of Syracuse, brought in extra drivers to combat the increase in orders and snowy roads. They delivered to businesses and streets they knew were plowed before tackling residential deliveries, Coleman said.

At Markowitz Florist on South Warren Street downtown, drivers' biggest complaint was digging out a path to load up vehicles for delivery.

"It's a lot like working in mashed potatoes," Mary Cirillo, an employee at Markowitz said. She said the phones were still ringing, walk-ins were still showing up, and their four to five drivers were keeping up the pace.

Rick Bunce, owner of Sam Rao Florist in the Camillus area, said being prepared for the inconvenience of a winter storm on Valentine's Day was a "no-brainer."

"It's Syracuse, N.Y., so people should expect this stuff," Bunce said. "This is what we deal with for four months out of the year. You do what you got to do. People are patient and understand weather's an issue."

At Cosentino's Florist in Auburn, spirits were high. Fourth-generation florist Jessica Cosentino said her family and coworkers enjoy the love in the air on Valentine's Day.

"We deal with some sad stuff other times, and we like the positivity of Valentine's Day," she said. "We've been doing this for 80 years and we've done it through anything from blizzards to floods."

By noon, the nine part-time drivers Cosentino's had working completed most of the store's deliveries and the roads were pretty clear, Cosentino said. "We're happy, we're eating, love is in the air, we're having fun," she said. "You can't stress about it."